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Green Abundance Dandelion, Kiwi + Lime Juice

In an effort to simplify our lives, we have decluttered our house and cut down on useless stuff like you wouldn’t believe it. We were never pack rats but we definitely had an excess of things that you may never need in your life or perhaps use once or twice and they basically just take up precious shelf space.

I did pretty well in our kitchen, too: I got rid of a bunch of gadgets that weren’t essential to our cooking and vowed to not gather any new tools until the old ones wear out. However. I am addicted to my daily dose of fresh veggie juice so, when we found out our big news, I unceremoniously donated the old Jack LeLanne juicer (loud, messy, so-so juicing results) and ordered us a gorgeous, small and quite, one glass at a time, 30 seconds clean up masticating juicer that has brought sunshine, smiles and the scent of crushed herbs and early spring to my modest kitchen!

In case you didn’t know, masticating juicers are it. The bee’s knees, the cat’s pyjamas, all that and a bag of chips! If you happen to be in the market for a new juicer, stay away from centrifugal juicers (unless they are your only option, then go for it – we had one for 5 years but I wish I had made the switch sooner). Masticating juicers won’t oxidize your juice like centrifugal juicers and so they preserve valuable nutrients that otherwise get lost during processing.

One of my favorite juice ingredients are dandelion greens. You can easily wild harvest those but right now, I’m buying them at the local market – it’s a bit early in the season for us to gather them outside. While dandelion greens are the bane of many gardener’s existence, they are unbelievably nutritious and essential in every herbalist’s kitchen.

Dandelion Greens contain over 500% of the daily recommended dose of vitamin K (great for bone strength) but they also boast impressive amounts of vitamin A and C along with many other nutrients that are über-important for good health. If you live in an area that isn’t sprayed for pests and weeds, don’t pull and discard dandelion greens, rinse and add them to your salad or juice!

Below is one of my favorite juice combinations; this juice is tart and refreshing – definitely not sweet, though. If you prefer juice on the sweet side, you can add half of an orange or replace the Granny Smith with a sweet apple variety.

The amount of juice this recipe yields will depend on how fresh and juicy your produce is; the flavor also depends on the sugar content of each ingredient. Just play with it until it tastes just right for you!

Abundantly Green Dandelion, Kiwi + Lime Juice

Prep time 5 minutes

Serves 1

Ingredients

One large handful of dandelion greens (or kale)

1 kiwi

1 large Granny Smith apple

Juice of 1/2 lime

One handful sprouts (e.g. sunflower)

Optional tasty additions: cucumber, celery, parsley, ginger

Directions

Rinse and prep all your ingredients so they will fit through the chute of your juicer.

Process all ingredients through your juicer, except for the lime, hand squeeze the lime juice directly into your glass.

Rose is a food photographer, rock climber and German expat living in the South of the United States. Outside of the kitchen and studio, you'll most likely bump into her on a mountain trail or - gasp - at the local farmers market. Infusing alcohol with wild crafted herbs and celebrating winter solstice are among Roses's favorite things to do. Contact Rose